Muslim Women Stage ’Burkini’ Protest at French Municipal Pool

There were about ten Muslim women supported by the "Citizen Action" collective and wearing full-body swimsuits, also called "burkinis". These women intend to protest against the internal regulations of municipal swimming pools that they consider "discriminatory".

It all started with the pool’s internal regulations, according to which the only authorized swimsuit is a one or two-piece swimsuit that covers "at least the area between the top of the thighs and the waist, and at most the area above the knees and above the elbows." This regulation is not to the liking of Muslim women who find it discriminatory and say they are tired of these pools imposing a traditional swimsuit.

According to Taous Hammouti, a militant of the "Alliance citoyenne" collective who confided in Le Dauphiné Libéré, "full-body swimsuits do not violate the hygiene or safety conditions provided for in the internal regulations of these pools." For the activist, through this protest movement, "we are defending our freedom, the freedom of all women. Some women are modest and do not want to wear a two-piece swimsuit," she says, specifying that it is not just for "religious conviction." "We don’t understand why some people can be shocked by this," adds the activist.

A first action of the collective consisted in launching a petition asking for the modification of the pool regulations, notes Libération. However, despite nearly 400 signatures collected, they were unable to obtain a meeting with the municipal services last September. It was then that they took action on Friday, provoking mixed reactions. Even if on the spot, "the director of the establishment and the pool staff tried to turn them away" as reported by the local media Place Gren’et, the mayor of the city of Grenoble, who did not deem it necessary to send the police, has already proposed a meeting with the collective.